Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy has introduced legislation to permit the families of victims of tragedies like the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico to seek non-economic damages. A Senate panel on Tuesday heard from one of the victim's relatives.

The Senate Judiciary Committee focused on the question of corporate liability for the loss of life or the loss of livelihoods for people affected by disasters such as the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Eleven people were killed in the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig leased by BP. One of victims was Gordon Jones, a husband and the father of a two-year-old child and a baby born only days after his death. Gordon's brother, Christopher Jones, called on Congress to take action to help his family. He says he took offense at comments by BP Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward.

"I want to take this opportunity to address the recent remarks made by Tony Hayward, CEO of BP. In particular, he publicly stated he wants his life back. Well, Mr. Hayward, I want my brother's life back. And I know the families of the other 10 men want their lives back. We will never get Gordon's life back. And his wife will live a life without a husband, and her two children a life without a father. At the top of the United States Supreme Court building is the phrase "Equal Justice Under the Law." As a United States citizen and as a lawyer, I agree with that principal. Unfortunately, it does not exist in the case of deaths occurring in federal waters," he said.

The Death on the High Seas Act does not permit families of victims to recover losses such as the loss of care and companionship associated with losing a spouse or parent. Under law, victims of maritime tragedies can only claim economic damages for the lost income their loved one would have provided.

In 2000, following an airliner crash, Congress amended the Death on the High Seas Act to permit recovery of non-economic damages by surviving family members of air crash victims. That is why Christopher Jones and several Democratic senators support legislation to provide equal protection to those killed on oil drilling rigs or on ships.

"Our laws should encourage safety and accountability. Where they do not create the right incentives, we must change them. Whether as the result of greed, incompetence or negligence, BP's conduct has devastated the lives and livelihoods of countless people and their communities and may threaten the Gulf [of Mexico] coast's very way of life. It has been said by others, that if BP can spend millions and millions of dollars running ads saying how wonderful they are and how environmentally conscious they are, they can spend a lot more money helping the families that are suffering," he said.

Several senators at the hearing also said they support the lifting of a $75 million cap on economic damages a corporation might pay under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Other senators introduced a bill last month that would raise the cap on economic damages to $10 billion.

A witness at the hearing objected to the idea of Congress passing a law that would apply retroactively to make oil companies liable for more damages. Jack Coleman is Managing Partner of the private energy consulting firm EnergyNorthAmerica. He says the United States benefits from developing oil and gas resources at home. Coleman says he hopes that Congress will not implement what he calls policies that would imperil an industry that is an enormous source of jobs and revenue.

"In my testimony, I did not come out against an increase in that for future leases. I was dealing with that from a contract law point of view and the great damage to the industry that would come about from a $10 billion cap or unlimited cap on damages," he said.

Leahy and several other Democratic senators said they support plans by the Obama administration to open a criminal investigation into the cause of the massive BP oil spill. Republican members on the panel were more reserved and did not voice support for Leahy's bill to allow the family members of victims to seek greater compensation. Congress will continue to hold hearings on the oil spill, with BP CEO Tony Hayward expected to appear at a hearing next week.

Manned deep space missions are still a long way off, but space agencies are already testing procedures, equipment and human stamina for operations in extreme environment conditions. Small groups of astronauts take turns in spending days in an underwater lab, off Florida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

Video

Manned deep space missions are still a long way off, but space agencies are already testing procedures, equipment and human stamina for operations in extreme environment conditions. Small groups of astronauts take turns in spending days in an underwater lab, off Florida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

Video

Fifty years ago, lawmakers approved, and U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed, the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The measure outlawed racial discrimination in voting, giving millions of blacks in many parts of the southern United States federal enforcement of the right to vote. Correspondent Chris Simkins introduces us to some civil rights leaders who were on the front lines in the struggle for voting rights.

Video

Billions of dollars of so-called ‘dirty money’ from the proceeds of crime - especially from Russia - are being laundered through the London property market, according to anti-corruption activists. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the British capital, the government has pledged to crack down on the practice.

Video

Ottawa, Illinois, is the hometown of W.D. Boyce, who founded the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. In Ottawa, where Scouting remains an important part of the legacy of the community, the end of the organization's ban on openly gay adult leaders was seen as inevitable. VOA's Kane Farabaugh reports.

Video

Artificial limbs, including the most complex of them – the human hand – are getting more life-like and useful due to constant advances in tiny hydraulic, pneumatic and electric motors called actuators. But now, as VOA’s George Putic reports, scientists in Germany say the future of the prosthetic hand may lie not in motors but in wires that can ‘remember’ their shape.

Video

A British pro-democracy group has accused Russia of abusing the global law enforcement agency Interpol by requesting the arrest and extradition of political opponents. A new report by the group notes such requests can mean the accused are unable to travel and are often unable to open bank accounts. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports.

Video

Talks on a major new trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim nations are said to be nearing completion in Hawaii. Some trade experts say the "positive atmosphere" at the discussions could mean a deal is within reach, but there is still hard bargaining to be done over many issues and products, including U.S. drugs and Japanese rice. VOA's Jim Randle reports.

Video

Earth is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction. The last such event was caused by an asteroid 66 million years ago. It killed off the dinosaurs and practically everything else. So scientists are in a race against time to classify the estimated 11 million species alive today. So far only 2 million are described by science, and researchers are worried many will disappear before they even have a name. VOA’s Rosanne Skirble reports.

Video

Scientists have long been trying to develop an effective protection and cure for malaria - one of the deadliest diseases that affects people in tropical areas, especially children. As the World Health Organization announces plans to begin clinical trials of a promising new vaccine, scientists in South Africa report that they too are at an important threshold. George Putic reports, they are testing a compound that could be a single-dose cure for malaria.

Video

The latest issue of 'New York' magazine features 35 women who say they were drugged and raped by film and television celebrity Bill Cosby. The women are aged from 44 to 80 and come from different walks of life and races. The magazine interviewed each of them separately, but Zlatica Hoke reports their stories are similar.

Video

The United States is promising not to give up its fight against what Secretary of State John Kerry calls the “scourge” of modern slavery. Officials released the country’s annual human trafficking report Monday – a report that’s being met with some criticism. VOA’s National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin has more from the State Department.

Video

Abandoned more than 50 years ago, the underground streetcar station in Washington D.C.’s historic DuPont Circle district is about to be reborn. The plan calls for turning the spacious underground platforms - once meant to be a transportation hub, - into a unique space for art exhibitions, presentations, concerts and even a film set. Roman Mamonov has more from beneath the streets of the U.S. capital. Joy Wagner narrates his report.

Video

Greece has replaced Italy as the main gateway for migrants into Europe, with more than 100,000 arrivals in the first six months of 2015. Many want to move further into Europe and escape Greece’s economic crisis, but they face widespread dangers on the journey overland through the Balkans. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports.

Video

After the closure of a major rubbish dump a week ago, the streets of Beirut are filling up with trash. Having failed to draw up a plan B, politicians are struggling to deal with the problem. John Owens has more for VOA from Beirut.

Video

A U.N. climate conference in December aims to produce an ambitious agreement to fight heat-trapping greenhouse gases. But many local governments are not waiting, and have drafted their own climate action plans. That’s the case with Paris — which is getting special attention, since it’s hosting the climate summit. Lisa Bryant takes a look for VOA at the transformation of the French capital into an eco-city.